Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Health Right Over!

I've been "down with the sickness" literally...since Monday. Ugh & Double Up Ugh UGH!!

What I've been "up to" for the past 4 days. My loyal little friend here makes illness better and more difficult. He cuddles and is so sweet, but gets bored and angry after awhile.  I weakly threw balls for him...and most of the throws were very, very lame.



All I recall is having a dreamy & hilarious brunch with my nephew Emerson on Sunday, feeling fine, eating WAY too much Tex Mex skillet & french toast...and waking up Monday with what I THOUGHT was a food hangover. It just never went away!  Anyway...I'm back and boy do I have stories!

Ha! They would be mostly of the uninteresting variety & in 98% of them I am wearing my pajamas! I will refer to this week as "Humbling". As I started to feel a bit better & got sick of lying on the couch, I headed to our backyard to help Brad remove a FREE fence (thanks to my brother! Sidebar: SUPER excited about having a fenced in area for the puppy to run around in! He runs after birds, geese, paper, little people, fuzz, etc..) from the back of our truck.  As I grabbed two LIGHT poles & placed them under our deck, I felt something and had that "Uh oh" feeling as in "Did I just pull something? Huh? I didn't even DO anything!"

Yes, friends...apparently all of the lying around, no exercise & certainly NO kind of stretching whatsoever didn't really set me up for a moment of bending & stooping.  I walked back into the house, sort of laughing and explaining to Brad what happened. I realized I couldn't bend over or move to the left very well.  Once in the house, I suddenly have a weird foot cramp and can't "unbend" my toe. Seriously? This kind of stuff rarely happens & for that I am grateful. Later on,  over dinner (my sister and nephew came over. We had Brad's homemade chicken and wild rice soup) I start choking. At this point, I'm not even embarrassed, but just annoyed with my body in general. I know it's not fair, but it's honestly how I felt. Dawn asks "Are you okay? What's wrong?" and I replied "Just choking on some cracked pepper! Should be over soon." It wasn't that fluid as I was coughing it out, but you get the idea. A TRIFECTA of issues in one 4 hour period! It was just..bizarre. The best part? Emerson asking "I'd really like for you to come outside and play football with me."  Me: "Kid, I can hardly move. I'm a glass of water away from Urgent Care!"

It makes me laugh now, but MAN (said like MAY YUN!) I felt old. I feel like those moments are perhaps glimpses into the future IF I don't take good care of myself as I age. It's scary. And humbling.

Color Me Humbled!

In other news: A neighbor put dog poop in our recycling bin early Thursday morning. That was a pleasant gift! Who does that? I have two dogs. I have carried poop in bags for two blocks until I get home & am able to properly dispose of it. Everyone knows the blue is the recycling. You can't get it confused with the BROWN plastic garbage. WTF people? I felt violated.



On the positive side..I have been able to catch up on reading and am loving this book- Thank YOU Shannan FPFG for recommending this author to me. I absolutely LOVE her writing style:

Image via http://serendipitous-readings.com/2008/08/21/belong-to-me-marisa-de-los-santos/

And I watched a cheesy yet fun movie with Nicolas Cage during the day while ill. Sitting & actually watching  TV or movies during the day is something I rarely do, with actual focus anyway!

Finally..let me leave you with a FAB Easter photo of me and my sister Dawn..circa 1982??

LOVED that shirt (I'm on the left) and was so very excited that my stick straight hair was holding a curl!

TGIF!!

Hollas & Healing!

xxoo

Good Lawd, This Chitlin Is Fun!

My Delightful & Sweet Nephew Emerson. 

We had a sleepover Saturday night. It was a blissfully nice Minnesota day. The constant wind died down for a full day. We ran in the grass. He coaxed me into playing football with him. He told me "Don't be afraid of the ball, Aunt Tina." to which I replied "Yes, I know. I'm just not used to a foosball coming at my head on a regular basis anymore." "Was I ever?! and then I said "Tina's not afraid of the ball! GREG! It's Greg! Greg is afraid of the ball!" Name that movie!

Give up? "Meet the Parents" when Gay Focker is playing water volleyball or polo. Owen Wilson's character keeps getting his name wrong. Good times.

Yes, folks. This is a guide regarding "How To Take Care of A Baby Dragon." Cool. Emerson played the role of "Sneakers" the baby dragon for a good hour on Saturday night. He really knows how to stay in character. Apparently there are many levels to Dragonhood & while Emerson the 9  year- old boy was hungry, he didn't want to ruin anything by aging his baby dragon self (i'm not kidding!) by eating foods that would take Sneakers to a much older age. See above list. IF Sneakers had eaten say...a few jellybeans he'd be at Level 4 in DragonHood. That meant he'd be 16 years old, if I recall correctly. Because of this, we had to take regular breaks where I'd say "but how about..just for like TWO minutes Emerson the BOY eats a sandwich?" We worked it out. I love his imagination. Having been to design school & having spent life around very creative peeps, I have always said this: Emerson generates more ideas on a daily basis and GOOD ones, than ANY person I have ever known.

Look at that face! This was during a break in TV Tag. I said "how about we take a great candid shot of you happy in front of that flowering tree? If it turns out well, we can blow it up, frame it & it will make a nice mother's day present for your mom? Okay?" He says "Yep!" and this is what I get!

Attempt Two. I told him "this one really looks like you are about to give someone the bird!" He seemed to find that hilarious.

Attempt Three!!




TV Tag was awesome! I lost a lot, but in all fairness..the kid has a tendency to cheat a bit & will bend and change the rules AS you're playing to garner a win. It's sort of hilarious.  During the game, he was throwing out Nickelodeon's best..."iCarly!"  shriek..."Spongebob!"..and then...I ALMOST got him, but before I touched his arm he sat down and yelled "My Strange Addiction!"

Me: (laughing): "What the heck? You are nine! How do you know about that show?" (I've seen one episode where the woman's addiction is eating toilet paper. Okay..two shows..in the other one the woman ate Ajax on a daily basis.

Emerson: "What? I don't know!"

Me: "It's okay..I'm just super surprised. Do you watch that at your dad's?"

I can't stop laughing because it's just so funny, shocking, odd and yes..very random! We let it go & play more of our game. I lost..

Fast forward to our Sunday brunch together at Denny's. His mom (my sister Dawn) shows up as our food arrives. I share the story with her. I'm laughing, she's laughing & looks a bit perplexed that he's ever watched the show. Then as he's eating french toast he goes into his "favorite" episodes of  My Strange Addiction: "The one where this girl had to have everything pink. She went to a restaurant and had them make her eggs pink."  Me: "With food coloring?"  Emerson: "yes!" I'm laughing.  Emerson: "Wait! Then there was also the one where the guy drank gasoline and it showed him at the gas station."  Me and his Mom: "Are you serious?" he goes on to share a few more. Suddenly I realize "Em..did you watch a MARATHON of that show one day at your dad's?"  he says yes.

It was..very funny. Would I have allowed him to watch that show? No. His mom? No. But it happened and his sharing & the subsequent unfolding of it was hilarious to me.

Curtis &  Daisy always end up exhausted during & after Emerson's visits. Same energy level! Lots of playing & running! It makes me realize how much lower my energy level is in general in comparison to a kid's or a dog's. Then I remind myself that it would be A) a bit weird if I were continually running after balls in my yard and B) even more strange if I were to play house, the role of a baby dragon or regularly played Tv Tag with Brad or my best friend. "Brad! Tv Tag..NOW! You IN?"

We polished off all of the green jellybeans after Emerson declared them "the best tasting of all of the colors."

Sho Nuff!


It was fun & I'm always exhausted after he goes back home AND I miss him terribly.



Have a splendid Sunday..what's left of it.

xoxo~

T

This Week's Lovely Makeover

May I present to you...the golden frame that has been transformed!!

Bought this frame while thrifting. And yep, I did have cake on the thrift! It was lemon bread from Starbucks. I still call that "cake". And so it is.


I decided that the gold, although pretty, really does not match the vibe of anything in my house.


Paint to the rescue! I used a pure white by Behr in one of their tiny "test" jars.I had corkboard that I previously bought. I have a lot of cardboard on hand from my Etsy shop. I find that 3M spray adhesive works just swell for these projects. Glue the corkboard to the cardboard so it will retain its shape and have some sort of heft. I used leftover Lee Jofa wallpaper over the corkboard & stapled everything into place & backed it all with kraft paper.

After!  Now a cute and functional corkboard used to showcase family snapshots.

LOVE it! It lends itself to the new white and spring vibe in our living room!

Off to find some Pad Thai! "Somewhere, some way!"

xoxo

Easter Review

I think it was a smashing success, really.  Here is Emerson trying to win money on his scratch off ticket (the "prizes" for winning the scavenger hunt were...scratch off lottery tickets. Brad's idea. No haters. It was all in good fun. I think a total of maybe $5 was won.) and Madison is on her new iPad. Nice gift from her grandparents for easter! At one point she was "videochatting" or I'd call it videoconferencing with her best friend. It was cute, but odd. All of a sudden, the iPad would be sort of shoved in your face and her friend (Ashley, I believe) would be there staring at you and you at her. "Hi. Happy Easter!" and after the third time, what do you say? It made me realize why Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter do that segment making fun of tweens and teens with their video chat, saying stuff like "Yeah..this sucks, man!" because quite simply: I think after 10 minutes they get bored and there's just not much to say that's interesting. But M-Dog is enjoying it and that's all that matters. That's her gymnastics nickname. I have a tendency to want to call her Maddie, but she hates it. Ah, well.

Emerson, Madison & Andrew. I do believe this is where he won his first dollar!!

Amanda turned 13 on Easter!! She just got braces and blue contact lenses and looked very pretty. This pic doesn't do her justice. She's a teenager now!

Me and Brad. Look at how cute he is! That face, those cheeks! That cute bald head! I slapped some make up on  so I'm not sure why I look SO pale, but not every photo can be a fave!!

John (Dawn's amour), Me, My sister Dawn, Lovely sister-in-law Lori.

Lori and Madison..right before bday cake unveiling. They left the remainder of that cake here! I "loved" that, yet feared it at the same time. Why? Because I knew I'd have NO problem eating it all! There are currently two small pieces left. I've never mentioned on here that I have a sugar allergy. If I eat too much, I get hives. Yes, it's pretty! Benadryl to the rescue! Sometimes you just have to eat what you want!

My nephew Nick & niece Kirsten. They are brother and sister and the oldest of the nieces and nephews. I always joke that by the time Brad and I have a baby, they could literally be 25 or 26 years the kid's senior! They both just had birthdays! Nick is 18, Kiki is 21!! And yes, their parents make beautiful kids!

My brother Steve. This is right before the scavenger hunt where he was threatening to just hang at my house with the dogs. "I don't like games!" Baby. He did go. He complained. I secretly think he enjoys it. In the background are Richard and Carol, his in-laws. Love them. A few years ago he lied to me telling me "They're older and they don't like those games, Tina!" and then they told my husband months later "We had so much fun at Easter and the scavenger hunt was fun!" SO MUCH SO that they did their own later that year camping with the family!!

Andrew angry because he lost twice: the scavenger hunt itself AND no cash prizes via his scratch off ticket. We DID find out that he is able to shove a whole piece of birthday cake in his mouth at one time and eat it. See below.

Now that is something!! His face looks the same when he eats toast with jelly. He gets a jelly smile or mustache!

Baby Dog Curtis at days end...in fashion forward Easter  Kerchief (Thanks Brad!) and exhausted. He is very social. I think he had the time of his life! This is where he nods off to sleep.

My first tulip of the year!! It's going below freezing tonight (Hot, Cold, Hot, Cold..Crazy weather!) so I'll have to cover it with some burlap, I guess? I don't know. Minnesota is such a weird place to live. 

I'm off to eat the last of said cake, I think a brownie is left & some taco dip & honey glazed carrots are calling my name!

Have a splendid evening!

xxoo

Happy Easter!

My sweet niece Madison made these last year and brought them on Easter as a gift for me and my husband. Sweetest kid.



I have the privilege of hanging out with these cuties tomorrow:

They are a blast. We'll have an easter egg hunt  and we generally do a scavenger hunt that Brad, my sweet and creative hubby sets up. We drive all around our neighborhood based on clues. Last time they had to do things like "have a stranger fill your gas tank with 50 cents worth of gas." and other uncomfortable stuff! The adults are also a part of it. My brother actually hates it and told me "Yeah..I don't think anyone really likes the scavenger hunt." and then I found out that it was him...his wife's parents really had fun as did the kids, but he hates games. He actually shrieked when I tried to make him get out of the car to ask the "stranger" at the gas station to fill our tank and stop at 50 cents!!

How can you NOT love this kind of energy?

And when the littles eat with abandon like this, doesn't it make you feel as if YOU should as well?

So cute!

Can't wait to spend the day with all of them and the rest of my family AND..let's be honest...eat A LOT!

I see a few Peeps and chocolate easter bunnies in my near future.

Happy Easter everyone!

xxoo

Home Decor

Here is the final photo of my living room. I was soo bothered by the bookcase part of the built-in with it's clutter & family photos, that I just started from scratch and began anew!

Yesterday- Pre Restyle

I had family photos that I LOVE and are meaningful in this space for a good 3+ years. I felt guilty for wanting to take them down- I know it's dumb, but I'm sure many of you know the feeling. Last night I was looking at the area and thinking "Just looking over there stresses me out and it reads as clutter." So this morning..fortified with a Sugar Free McDonald's Latte...I removed everything!

After!

It felt liberating and weird, all at the same time. I am much, much happier with it now. I also now have a stack of framed photos and I don't know where to place them! What's most weird: I did interior design. I can do anyone else's space but my own is filled with "should go here" and "that needs to stay"

UGH!

After- I love it now. Yes, the TV is still large and looming and I still need to cut in with paint. Rome was not built in a day, kids! :-)

I also spent $34 at the Dollar Tree today. I don't think I've ever spent that much there! It was a great time, lots of Easter items were purchased and I'm excited to fill eggs with candy & various items for Sunday!

The point: The combo of Dollar Store craziness, redecorating, two dogs, new neighbors that the puppy continually barks at (almost as if he's disgusted with them. It's cute AND annoying!) has left me spent.

I'm out.

Holla & Sweet Dreams!

xxoo

Living Room Before & Afters a.k.a. It is Done!

Remember the post of my living room wall? The red wall with the oak stained built in?

Here's a refresh of the before:

I liked the red with the oak just fine. I was never a huge fan of the oak, but they worked well together.  Trouble arose when we tired of the red wall after 2 years & desperately needed some lighter colors after a long MN winter!

Now there's nothing terrible here. But for me, I hated the combo of the walls with the oak. Please excuse the dog bed in front of the fireplace. They are smart & like to cuddle there on a cool evening. This is REAL life, people! I also can't get rid of or move the gigantic flatscreen. Hubby loves that thing. It's a forever piece. I didn't want to have to keep a red or brownish wall in order to make the built-in work, so I talked my husband into being "okay" with painting the whole thing white. It was a much easier sell after we finished the kitchen & it turned out SO great.



During: My least favorite part and when I always tend to question "What the hell am I doing? I HATE painting!"

After!

If you look closely here, you can see that I still have some cutting in to do near the floor. My husband always makes fun of me for this because in his world "rolling the paint on is the gift you get after cutting in" to which I respond "I've been painting for years before knowing you. I think I can figure this out. Different styles, same end result."

The fabric on the ottoman will be used for pillows. I changed out the art for a mirror.

Clearly, Miss Daisy was exhausted after watching all of the painting! Look at how tired she looks! I've changed out the decor a bit since this photo (it's a habit, I move stuff constantly) by removing a few family pics as it seemed too busy and changing out the birdcage to the left of the fireplace. There just seemed to be too much stuff over there.

I think we should also just ignore the wheat thins up there. I was hungry. What I LOVE now: How much more updated and clean it looks. How a lot of the detail that was lost in an orangey oak stain can now be enjoyed.

LOVE the detail!

Paint is Behr Ultra. No primer needed. I did sand everything just the tiniest bit so it would take the paint more easily.

**Of note: I WILL finish cutting in within the next day or so. Surely before we have Easter here on Sunday. This is just how I roll.

Finally..random flower pic courtesy of Aldi! God bless Aldi. Seriously. The deals are just too much. I think this set me back a good $4. Azaleas. They  make me smile everyday!

I would say I'm tired of painting and I am- but I've also got spring fever! I just started painting my laundry room. Good god, it doesn't stop!

Have a delightful evening! I just watched Oprah & Tony Robbins live in NYC on OWN and am feeling quite inspired!!

xoxoxo